Artificial intelligence survey finds UK public broadly optimistic

Support for 'machine learning' depended on what it would be used for, with mass unemployment among main fears

Apart from fears of mass unemployment, accidents with machinery, restrictions on freedom, increased economic inequality and a devalued human experience, the public are broadly optimistic about the arrival of artificial intelligence, according to one of the first surveys of British opinions about the technology.

Research by the polling firm Ipsos Mori found nearly a third of people believe the risks of "machine learning" outweigh the benefits, while 36% believe the risks and benefits are balanced.